Easy Photography Business Guide | 7 Steps To A Photography Business (Yes, It’s That Easy!)

Easy Photography Business Guide | Professional photography equipment has never been more affordable, which is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. With some extra cash on their hands and a Facebook page, pretty much everyone can call themselves pro. While the transition from a hobbyist to a professional has never been easier, that doesn’t mean success is guaranteed. Nor does it mean it’s impossible to turn your passion for taking pictures into a business – it simply means you need to work a bit smarter.

Many amateur shooters mistakenly believe that being talented at taking creative pictures will take care of everything else and provide them with the glitz and glamour that comes with success. However, we’ve all seen many incredibly talented photographers start a business and ultimately fail at keeping it afloat. To avoid that gloomy scenario, you need to make sure you’re working on your business skills just as much as you are on your photography. To help you get started on the right foot, we came up with a simple and easy photography business guide!

Do Your Homework: Write A Business Plan | Easy Photography Business Guide

Any successful business owner will tell you that in order to turn your business idea into an actual business, you’ll need to write it down first. This simple document will act as your guide and will make sure you hit the ground running the moment you launch your business, and avoid any and all nasty surprises that would otherwise catch you off guard. Plus, you’ll have a much better idea how to grab your ideal client’s attention, what your expenses are going to be and how you’re going to handle finances during the startup stage.

Don’t Be Jack Of All Trades And Master Of None | Easy Photography Business Guide

From newborn and family photography to stock and high-fashion, there are many branches of the photography industry. However, if you’re hoping to build a memorable brand, you’ll have a much better chance if you pick a particular area to specialize in. By clearly defining your target audience, you’ll make your life a lot easier when the time comes to sort out various branding elements – which leads us to our next point: the design.

Have A Logo Professionally Designed For Your Business | Easy Photography Business Guide

While the logo will play the second fiddle to your images, keep in mind that it can still pack a serious punch when it comes to representing your brand. From business cards and other stationery items to the watermarks on your images, everything that leaves your office should feature your logo. Keep in mind, though, that you will want your logo to be versatile enough to be used both with color and in black and white. For more information on logo design, check out our guide to designing effective logos.

Set Up A Portfolio Website | Easy Photography Business Guide

Days when you could set up a generic website with just a couple of examples of your works and contact information are long gone. After all, you’re marketing to millennials – a generation that practically grew up online. And while there are free website templates out there, think of your website as your virtual storefront – it will be your potential client’s first contact with you and your business long before they decide to pick up the phone and call, so you’ll want to leave the right impression from the get-go.

Your website should be simple; remember, the work you’re trying to showcase should be center of attention, not the flashy design. In other words, if people are talking about the design of your website, and not your work, you have a serious problem. You need to also make sure the examples on your website are the absolute best examples – after all, your portfolio is as strong as your weakest pictures.

Invest In The Right Equipment | Easy Photography Business Guide

While equipment alone is not enough to run a successful business, it is your primary tool – which means it will be worth your while to invest in the best equipment your budget allows. Before you run off to the nearest equipment store, though, remember that you will need backup equipment as well, from backup lenses to backup drives, as even brand new equipment can fail at the most important moment of the gig.

Social Media Is No Longer Optional | Easy Photography Business Guide

As mentioned before, you’re targeting a generation that grew up with in the time of smartphones and social media, which means if you’re serious about marketing your business and spreading the word about the services you’re providing, you will need to use a medium your potential clients feel comfortable using, and the most used examples of that are Facebook and Twitter.

This is also a great way to generate traffic to your website – every time you publish a new post or share a new gallery, take a moment to publish it on Facebook and ask your clients to tag themselves, spreading the word about your business organically.

Network Like There’s No Tomorrow | Easy Photography Business Guide

Don’t forget about old-fashioned face-to-face networking while working on establishing a social media presence. You’d be surprised how loyal other vendors can be once you hit it off with them. For example, if you’re shooting a wedding, you can take a few pictures of the wedding cake and send the professional shots to the decorator, who in turn might refer you to their clients, or send a shot of the venue to the owner and offering them a free print for each referral.

Share the love:00000

If you enjoy reading our blog, would you mind taking a moment to rate it? Thanks for your support!

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Name

Email

Testimonials

I had been following Media Novak’s work for a while now and was always impressed with their logo work. The logo designs they came up with based on my wishes for what I wanted it to look like were above and beyond what I had imagined. The process itself was smooth and so easy. I gave input and they took it on board and applied it to the next design. I would highly recommend them any day!

Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography

I cannot begin to say enough about Mark & the team at Media Novak. Their customer service has been TOP NOTCH! They have gone way beyond my expectations and dreams and have put together a website for me that I am so proud of… I actually can’t believe that it’s mine! If you are looking for a new website or new branding then look no further… contact these guys today!

Myrick Cowart – Photographer

Thank you thank you thank you! I really appreciate all of your help and your quick replies and editing, and well, everything. I will DEFINITELY be referring your team! I love my new logo and I love that it is completely my own and completely encompasses my brand. I really appreciate all of the time and effort your team has put into this project. Thank you again and again!

Bethany Petersen – Photographer

I decided to hire Media Novak after seeing a friends logo that I really liked. I sent them my ideas but I actually preferred one of their original concepts over my own ideas! They really understood the look and feel I was trying to achieve and I am delighted with my new logo! I found the process to be really enjoyable and smooth and emails were answered very quickly… a big thumbs up from me!

Karen McGowran – Photographer

Media Novak were helpful and listened to me as the client… never once tried to push their likes onto me… but they do offer good advice. I think what has mattered most to me was once we went live, they were very much still around to iron out little problems that only became noticeable to myself with the daily running of a website and a blog! I would highly recommend them to other businesses!

Jo-Ann Stokes – Photographer

Media Novak designed a beautiful website for me and I’m very satisfied with it. They listened to what I wanted and tailored the site to fit me and I really appreciate that. Their prices are reasonable and the quality is fantastic. I would highly recommend this company.

About Us

MediaNovak is a creative design agency that specializes in web design, online marketing, graphic design and corporate identity solutions. We started our company with some basic ideals—offer our customers exceptional design, while delivering a positive customer experience.

These ideals have helped grow our business and drive customers to our door. A majority of our business comes simply from “word of mouth” referrals—one customer telling another of the experience that we offer here. We consider this the ultimate compliment.